Ed Carpenter Racing will prepare a backup car for Rinus VeeKay after Friday night’s big crash that caused significant damage to his No. 21 Chevy when he was hit from behind by Colton Herta of Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Racing while the field was clustering in a restart aborted.
“It’s easier to go to the spare car than try to put something together to fix the one we crashed,” ECR team director Tim Broyles told RACER.
IndyCar rules do not allow teams to have more than one engine in their possession for each entry. As a result, the VeeKay crew did a quick job equipping the new No. 20 with the undamaged 2.2-liter Chevy V6 twin turbo that was involved in the incident.
“The spare car was almost ready to run, so the guys pulled the engine out of the collision and almost had it ready to fire on the replacement,” Broyles said as midnight in Iowa approached. “I hope they finish up and get out of there. in about 45 minutes. They deserve a little sleep in the morning. “
VeeKay qualified 15th for Saturday night’s race and will remain there, despite the chassis change. Under Rule 8.1.7.1, the Dutch rookie shall not lose position as a result of using a chassis that is different from the one established by his qualifying speed.
Herta’s team chose to repair Honda No. 88 before Saturday’s practice session.
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